STiCH

One of the greatest challenges of the 21st century is climate change. A new free online resource, Sustainability Tools in Cultural Heritage, or "STiCH," provides a life cycle assessment (LCA) Carbon Calculator, Library of Case Studies, and Information Sheets to help cultural heritage professionals make educated and sustainable choices to lower the environmental impact of their work.

The Carbon Calculator on the site allows users to select a variety of materials and processes used in museums, libraries, archives, and historical sites to compute the greenhouse gas emissions produced by a combination of inputs or to compare the relative impact of various alternatives.

This website is a work in progress, with 35% of the 1200 items in the Carbon Calculator database complete. We also continue to work on Case Studies and Information Sheets, so please continue to check the website and see our progress.

To make a suggestion or provide feedback, please email stich@culturalheritage.org.

The resource is an outcome of the Life Cycle Assessment project undertaken by the Foundation for Advancement in Conservation, Northeastern University, and Pratt Institute, with grant funding from the National Endowment for the Humanities. Many thanks to these partners and to Sarah Nunberg, Sarah Sutton, Matthew Eckelman, and Sarah Sanchez for their work on this project.